Consumers, Producers, and Decomposers of the Galapagos

Since we have a quiz tomorrow on the consumers, producers, and decomposers, I thought this would be an appropriate time to ask these questions. What kind of consumers, producers, and decomposers are there on the Galapagos? Is there a lot of predation? Are there lots of endangered animals or extinct animals on the island? Are there lots of food webs and food chains? And are the blue-footed boobies preyed on a lot? And what kind of consumers are they… Herbivores? Carnivores? Or are they omnivores?

Rachel pd. 2

Great questions, Rachel! We will be addressing the organisms in the Galapagos food web, so I don't want to give it all away! However, to prepare for the quiz, understand the terms and their meanings. Producers "produce" their own food using the sun's energy. Plants are producers, and the process in which they make their own food is called photosynthesis. Consumers "consume" plants or other consumers. The blue-footed booby is a consumer because it eats fish, and fish are consumers. Decomposers are found everywhere. They are the bacteria and fungi that break down dead organisms. The Galapagos tortoise feeds on plants (producers), so what type of consumer is it? If blue-footed boobies eat only fish, what type of feeder are they?

Good luck on the quiz, Rachel!